I have always been interested in running a project/small business outside of my 9 to 5 full-time job. Something that I can grow in my spare time and that has the potential to grow and then become my main source of income! Talking with friends, I was given a copy of Emma Jones' Working 5 to 9 – How to start a successful business in your spare time — Great timing!
At first I was apprehensive as to what the book could offer me in terms of strategy and resources. I could have not been further from the truth; the book made things a lot more straight-forward. I thought it would be a really expensive and time-consuming affair setting up a company, website, etc… This book gave me an insight into real people, with full-time jobs, how they manage their time and furthermore how they set about doing it!
There are 50 case studies and the nature of the businesses is very diverse, from rare-breed pig-farmers to a graphic design agency! Although these businesses are not in the same industry as I intend to go into, they still provided me with a great insight into problems they encountered, things to consider when they were starting up, it also made me think outside the box a bit more and consider all my options and the viability of my particular business.
The tax and legal implications were a big concern for me as well. I am not an accountant and I wanted to maximise my earnings in the easiest way possible, while still working within the constraints of the law! I did many searches on the internet in order to find out what I needed to do, however having this all detailed in the book was great and very easy to follow! I have a good understanding of what I need to do, but for those who are just starting out this is a great insight into the things that need to be thought about.
This book is not exhaustive, it is more an insight into getting set up, but works brilliantly as an introduction to going it alone and is a clear, concise and inspiring read for anyone thinking about setting up a business in their spare time.
